Prognosis following a diagnosis of heart failure and the role of primary care

Heart Failure (HF) is a common chronic condition that affects around 900,000 people in the UK. Primary care plays a central role in the diagnosis, long-term management and end of life care for these patients. Whilst there is specialist support available from HF nurses and cardiologists, general practitioners (GPs) remain responsible for overseeing most patient care once a diagnosis is made, including management to delay progression, recognition of HF decompensations, and patient follow-up in the vulnerable period following an acute admission. Patients with HF often have several other conditions which can change over time and require different, sometimes conflicting, treatment. GPs are also well placed to provide timely information on prognosis, discuss treatment options and support advanced care planning [2]. It is therefore crucial to support clinicians’ understanding and awareness of the HF trajectory. In this article we present relevant evidence on HF survival rates and factors which affect outlook. We also explore reported cause of death in patients with HF and trends in survival over time